In April 1994, the body of Igor Prudnikov, who had been stabbed in the throat, was discovered near the city of Ryazan (Russia).
The investigation was unable to identify the person who committed the murder, so the criminal case remained unsolved for many years.
In 1995, the deceased’s former wife Svetlana Prudnikova, a man named Sergey who lived with her, and another acquaintance were detained. However, since no direct evidence confirming their guilt was found, all three were questioned as witnesses and released.
After that, they left Ryazan, cut off their old connections, and tried to avoid the attention of law enforcement agencies.
According to the investigation’s version, Igor Prudnikov was killed by Sergey, who at the time lived with Svetlana Prudnikova, and Sergey's accomplice. After being questioned, Sergey left Ryazan and, from the mid-2000s, began living in the village of Plotavtsevo in Vladimir region. He introduced himself to neighbors as Nikolay and led a quiet life.
In 2016, it was recorded in official documents that he was considered dead. According to REN-TV, the man did not even inform his mother about the move, and the woman considered her son missing for all those years.
Years later, the investigation was reopened. Witnesses were questioned again, complex genetic examinations were conducted, and as a result, the identity of the hidden person was confirmed. Operatives determined that he was living in the village of Plotavtsevo.
Currently, the 60-year-old is held in an investigative detention facility. The investigation believes that Svetlana Prudnikova was the mastermind behind the murder. Her goal was to get rid of her former husband, claim the inheritance, and sell the apartment.
According to the Criminal Code of the RSFSR in force in 1994, this crime was punishable by the death penalty. However, under current legislation, the detainee faces at most a life sentence./oxu.az